Hitting a wall on hills.

[Owlie]

I don't know if it's the "wrong" gear, mental, nutritional or I'm just out of shape. I'll be powering up the one hill (not very steep, about .4 mi) at a good pace (14-16mph), in a relatively low gear (middle chainring, larger cogs), and then....bam, I drop to like 9mph, and it's all I can do to make it up the remainder of the hill to the stop sign.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[indysteel]

It sounds like you're hitting the hill too aggressively and then running out of steam and gears. First off, stop looking at your speed for the time being. Second, drop into your smallest chain ring as you approach the hill and use a cog that allows you to spin comfortably. Don't spin wildly, but also don't attack the hill. Maintain a steady and comfortable cadence as you begin the climb (say, 75-80 rpm). Breathe. As the pitch goes up, switch to easier gears as necessay. Don't look at your bike computer. The point of this exercise is not to speed up the hill; it's to get to the top without blowing up.

[OakLeaf]

I'm pretty sure your hills are as steep as mine, and I would be pretty dang proud of myself if I could get up some of them at 9 mph.

What Indysteel said.

[indysteel]

I'm pretty sure your hills are as steep as mine, and I would be pretty dang proud of myself if I could get up some of them at 9 mph.

What Indysteel said.

I agree; 9 mph up a steep hill is nothing to sneeze at. I make a practice of not looking at my speed on climbs. I would rather gauge my climbing by how my legs and lungs are doing. For me, it's all about maintaining a steady and controlled pace. Sometimes, I'm just happy to crest a hill without throwing up!

[redrhodie]

You know how my signature says "Slacker on wheels"? That comes from this article: http://www.living-room.org/slackers.htm which totally changed the way I climb. I feel so much better on hills now, that now I seek out steep ones so I can try to get up without getting out of breath. It's a great technique, even if it was written somewhat tongue in cheek.

[Crankin]

Yep, I have found I can get up anything (well, once or twice I gave up, more mental than anything else and a 20% grade) if I just put it in the granny at the beginning and turn the pedals over. Who cares how fast you are going? This got me through the 17K climb in Spain last summer and the cat 2 and 3 climbs the next day. Gear down at the beginning of the hill, middle cogs. You can always go up or down on the back from there. I find 9-11 mph is a "good" speed for the shorter climbs around here, but there are many times I decide to keep it at 5-8 mph, depending on how much more riding i have left or how much I want to save my legs.

[lph]

You know how my signature says "Slacker on wheels"? That comes from this article: http://www.living-room.org/slackers.htm which totally changed the way I climb. I feel so much better on hills now, that now I seek out steep ones so I can try to get up without getting out of breath. It's a great technique, even if it was written somewhat tongue in cheek.

heheh - that's a great article! I try to tell my non-bike-commuting colleagues that even if I can dash to work, bouncing around and racing everybody, I also can just sit back and relax and pedal slowly the days I feel sick or slow - and I still get there just fine. Don't even lose much time, actually.

[Biciclista]

9 mph on a hill? ? ? and you're complaining? Now listen here young lady;
you got YOUR BIKE UP that hill!! I know the cars that passed you did not have to slow down, but they are burning fossil fuels to do it! without that gasoline, they wouldn't make it up the hill either. And YOU did it with your two little legs and a little bit of oxygen..

On my commute, I have a hill I have to go up. I've done this commute HUNDREDS of times, over 100 times this year alone. And i probably got up that hill at 9mph twice. (the rest of the time I was slower) that's just the way it is..

you're doing fine.

[ny biker]

I'm happy if I can keep it above 4 mph on hills. Sometimes joggers pass me. It makes me laugh.

[tulip]

On the downhill before your uphill, PEDAL! Put it in the big ring and pedal. Do not coast down the hills. It's a waste.

As you approach the uphill, keep pedaling. Change gears as needed, a few cogs, then into the smaller chainring, and then more cogs if needed. You can either stand up to get over the top or simply pedal at a comfortable cadence. That depends on you and your hill.

Once over the hill, do not coast. Put it in the big ring and get ready for the next one. This way, you will be able to sling yourself halfway up the hill by pedaling down the previous hill.

[indysteel]

On the downhill before your uphill, PEDAL! Put it in the big ring and pedal. Do not coast down the hills. It's a waste.

As you approach the uphill, keep pedaling. Change gears as needed, a few cogs, then into the smaller chainring, and then more cogs if needed. You can either stand up to get over the top or simply pedal at a comfortable cadence. That depends on you and your hill.

Once over the hill, do not coast. Put it in the big ring and get ready for the next one. This way, you will be able to sling yourself halfway up the hill by pedaling down the previous hill.

I practice this technique on rollers, but some of the worst hills in Southern Indiana are like monoliths. You'll be travelling on an otherwise flat road and suddenly hit what seems like a wall. It's hard to know how to approach them. I wonder if Owlie is encountering the same thing in Cincinnati.

[Owlie]

I'm actually in Cleveland (at least, most of the time), which is pretty flat. The hills here aren't terribly steep, but they're long. I just double-checked the elevation profile, and it looks like the incline changes right around where I hit that wall.

The hills in my neighborhood back home are pretty steep. Those don't give me a problem--I just keep pedaling. I manage 7-9 mph on those and don't feel like I've been hit by a steamroller. (Okay, I need to catch my breath a bit at the top, but still!) There's a bit of a roller there, which helps, but not much. (Indy, we have some of those monolith hills. I just don't ride on them!)

On my ride tomorrow I'll try out my granny gear, and try to remember that I just have to get up the hill.

[parity]

Get out of the saddle and sprint like hell until the top. Throwing up is optional but if you do, you know you did it right.

[Biciclista]

just to counter what parity said; I won't work hard enough to puke. sorry... I would rather push the bike up the hill on foot than push my body to the puking point.

[parity]

just to counter what parity said; I won't work hard enough to puke. sorry... I would rather push the bike up the hill on foot than push my body to the puking point.

Not to side track this thread but I have never puked myself but have felt it in my stomach like I was about to a few times. Then there was the time I got tunnel vision and thought I may pass out. Good times.